Distant Storm
by Stormy Daye
Summary: Skye is happy living with Anthony but she won't be that way forever because her past is coming back to haunt her. Book 2 in the Jamieson family series. *COMPLETE*
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
I had been foolish to think that running away from my problems would make them go away. I should have known that they would all catch up to me sooner or later. But maybe I didn't mind. Maybe I just wanted to escape from everything for as long as I could. I deserved to be happy for a little while didn't I? I deserved to be with someone who loved me and would always love me. I just didn't know whom. I fell in love twice before I left La Vie. I loved both Trevor and Derek. I think I acted too quickly by leaving. The one person who was partly responsible for my break up with Trevor I brought with me. I should have thought about this. Why did I always have to hurt the people I loved the most? Would I ever be able to have a relationship without hurting them? I wanted the simple life, and I had it for a while but then my problems caught up to me, sooner rather than later. 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One: The Simple Life  
  
I picked up the box my real father gave to my mother when they were in love. Inside was my birth certificate and everything that connected me to the family that made everything change in my life. I couldn't help wondering as I ran my fingers over the lid, how my life would have been different if I had never found this box. I certainly wouldn't be living with Anthony, the guy I had believed was my brother. I missed my life in Monkton. I missed Erin and Tyler, my half brother and sister. I knew they must be having a hard time with no mother and no father. Their father, my step father and uncle was in jail for kidnapping Anthony when he was only a baby. How would I feel if I knew my father had committed a crime such as kidnap? Everything changed the night I ran away form the trailer park and into the rich life my father had led. I lived with my Grandmother and Step- Grandfather now. I lived in a huge house that was named La Vie, which means Life in French. I stepped out onto the balcony and watched the sun dip below the trees on the other side of the lake. I loved my home. I was lucky enough to have a trust fund that was still growing that my real grandfather set up for his son's children. Luckily, I was the only child. "Miss Jamieson?" I heard a voice from inside my room. I turned around, my dark brown hair whipping around with me. "Yes, Rachel?" I said to the maid. "Mr. Cartwright is on the phone," she said. I hadn't even heard the phone ring. Anthony always called around suppertime if he wasn't going to be home from his shop in town in time for supper. I picked up the phone beside my bed and said, "Hello, Mr. Cartwright," "Miss Jamieson," he said. Rachel knew our whole story. She had been working for us for five years now and I trusted her as I would trust my own mother. My mother had abandoned her four children when I was very young. I almost wanted to call Rachel, Mother just to be spiteful of my own mother's memory. I knew Rachel wouldn't tell anyone what Anthony and I used to be to eachother. Anthony and I weren't married even after five years of being together. We never talked about it. I didn't know if Anthony suspected that I was still holding out hope deep in my heart that Derek Brooks would find me. Derek and I were practically engaged before we started college together. But when my first love, Trevor, was killed in a car accident because of a drinking problem that started because I broke up with him, I decided that I didn't want to hurt anyone else. I left La Vie that night and drove with Anthony north to the lake and our new home. "I won't be home for dinner tonight, the store is crowded tonight," Anthony told me. I could hear people talking in the back round. I knew it was cottage country season and the small town of Duncan was always busy during this time. People were renting cottages all around the lake. But even thought I knew that this time of year was a busy time, I was still a little annoyed that again, Anthony wouldn't be home to eat with me. Our cook, Roberta was preparing his favourite, grilled cheese. "I understand Anthony, but Roberta was cooking some grilled cheese up tonight, what if I bring it down to the store a little later?" I asked. He didn't answer for a minute and then he laughed, "We have a cook to make our grilled cheese for us," he said, "What would Pop say?" "He'd be too wasted to say anything," I said dryly. Pop was our father back in Monkton. He was really my uncle, because his brother, Zack was my real father. He wasn't related in any way to Anthony. "Okay, bring me some grilled cheese and lemonade around eight," Anthony said. I told him I would and hung up. Now this was the simple life, I thought as I changed into a pair of jeans and a turquoise sweater that matched my eyes, taking food to my boyfriend at his workplace. I stopped and thought for a minute. Was Anthony by boyfriend? I supposed so, we lived together, we had made love, we just never actually said we were boyfriend and girlfriend. I went downstairs and into the kitchen. Roberta was flipping over the grilled cheese. I felt a small twinge of guilt at not even making a grilled cheese. I knew how, but now I had all this money and no one to spend it on but Anthony and myself. Roberta had short blond hair that she kept in a hair net. I told her she didn't have to wear it but she insisted. She used to be a cafeteria lady at the local high school so I guess she was use to wearing it. She wrapped up the sandwiches and gave me a bottle of lemonade. I left the house and jumped into my green Honda Civic. I didn't have a chauffeur; I never went very far. I was capable of driving myself around. I drove into town and up to Anthony's shop. It was called, "Odds and Ends," it was full of souvenirs and paintings. He wanted to do something with his life other than sit around and be rich. I grabbed our dinner and went into the shop. There were a few people milling around. "Skye!" Anthony called from behind the counter. I smiled and hurried over to him. I gave him a hug and ran my fingers through his dark hair. He was so handsome. The only problem was when I looked into his eyes; all I could see were his twin brother, Trevor's blue eyes staring back at me. "Food," I said holding up the bag. The customers bought a few things and then the store was empty. Anthony went up to the door and turned the sign over. "You don't have to close," I said. "It's okay," he said. He came back and sat down and we started to eat our sandwiches. We ate in silence for a while until Anthony reached into his pocket and took out a blue velvet ring box. I gasped and stared at him in shock. I was not expecting this. "Skye, we have been here for five years, I love you more than anything in the world and I want it to be official, I want you to be my wife, will you marry me?" Anthony smiled softly and I felt tears well up in my eyes. I hesitated a moment as Trevor and Derek's faces flashed before my eyes. I shook my head slightly. No, I thought, Anthony loves you, Derek and Trevor are not here with you. I giggled like a little girl and threw my arms around his neck, "Yes!" I cried. Anthony squeezed me tightly and laughed, "I'm so happy here Skye!" he exclaimed. "So am I Anthony, so am I," I replied. We broke apart and looked at eachother. I was engaged! I had been dreaming of this moment for as long as I could remember, since I knew what the word engaged meant! I felt happier at that moment then I ever had before, I never wanted to leave the store. I wanted to stay there with Anthony for the rest of my life. Now, I would be with him forever. A man loved me more than anything and all I could think about was what Derek was doing right now. We went back to the house and told Rachel and Roberta the news. They were so happy for us. Rachel would be my maid of honor. We would have a small wedding. We didn't have many friends in Duncan anyway so there would be no one to invite. I didn't want to call my Grandmother, Maxine. Truthfully, I didn't want her to know where I was. Not that I actually thought she cared. As I fell asleep that night, listening to Anthony's breathing beside me, I knew that I would be happy. I deserved it. I had waited so long and now was my time to shine. 


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Plans  
  
There was a lot of planning to do, even though it was going to be a small wedding. I chose to get daisies and babies breath for my bouquet. My wedding dress was long and simple. I was slim fitting and it sparkled in the sun. Our wedding would be October 9th. When the leaves were just starting to change colour. Autumn was my favourite time of the year. I loved the peaceful beauty. Anthony chose Timothy Reynolds, a fellow businessman to be his best man. They had grown close over the five years that we had lived in Duncan. We rented the small chapel in town for the day and invited our acquaintances from town. The time before the wedding just wouldn't go fast enough for me. I often sat on the balcony and dreamt of how wonderful in was going to be. I couldn't wait to be Mrs. Anthony Cartwright. I wanted to get rid of my last name. I didn't want to be related to a man who had abandoned his fiancé and newborn child to join the army and been surprised when he came back that they were gone. From the moment I said I do, I would no longer be a Jamieson. Despite my disdain of my father I was still upset that I would have no one to give me away. "Oh Rachel," I cried, "I feel like an orphan, no parents at my wedding!" "Dear, oh dear, it's OK, Mr. Cartwright loves you so much that he will make up for all the love your parents didn't give," Rachel soothed, holding me in her arms. It was two weeks until the wedding and I was just now realizing that I would have to walk down the aisle alone. I just didn't know if I could do it. "What if I can't go down the aisle alone," I asked Rachel sadly. "Don't worry dear, look how much you have been through already, you are strong enough to get through anything!" she declared. I looked in to warm, loving eyes and smiled, "Thank you, Rachel, for everything. You really are my best friend," I told her. "You are like the daughter I never had," she answered. I hugged her tightly, "Why didn't you have any children? You would have been such a good mother," I said. "My own mother kept me home from school when I was young to take care of my five brothers and sisters, I never had any desire to have children after that," she explained. "Five kids?" I asked wiping away my tears. She nodded sadly. I could tell that she would have liked her life to have turned out differently. I prayed that I would never have any regrets about how my life turned out. Regret was my biggest fear. I felt so selfish as Rachel told me about her childhood and being her parents' own personal maid. I thought it was ironic that she was now a maid. "Why are you working as a maid after hating it so much?" I asked. "I didn't go to high school, let alone college so cleaning was the only thing I knew how to do," she answered. I hugged her tightly, "I'm sorry Rachel," I said. "For what dear?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "For being so absorbed in my problems that I never listened to you," I said. Rachel laughed, "I love you Skye, I enjoy being friends with you and helping you," she said tears coming to her eyes now. We hugged and cried together. I hoped Rachel would always be around and I vowed that from now on I would be as good a friend to her as she was to me.  
  
Rachel helped me with all the planning I had to do. I stopped playing my violin and stopped going to my classes in town so I could devote all my energy to the wedding plans. Too bad I couldn't say the same fro Anthony and his shop. It was disappointing how little time he spent talking about the wedding. He still cam home late and didn't show much interest when I told him about the flowers or the invitations. He was truly making me even uneasier about the wedding. It was as if he proposed and then forgot about me. I was lying in bed a week before the big day, staring up at the ceiling. I was starting to seriously reevaluate my decision to get married. Anthony was never around. Would this be what it would be like when we were really married? I wanted to start a family. Did Anthony want what I wanted? Because if he didn't then this marriage would not work out. Suddenly he came breezing into the room and huge smile plastered on his face. He sat down and put his arm around my waist. "What are you so happy about?" I said a little coldly. His bright smile faltered a minute but then came back full blast, "I closed the store for the next two weeks," he said. "What?" I asked sitting up. Hope flooded through my chest; maybe he did care after all. "I want us to be together for the next two weeks, no store, no violin," he said. I smiled and hugged him. It was going to be okay, Anthony did love me. We would have the perfect marriage and the perfect family. "To tell you the truth," I started, "I was starting to think that you didn't want me anymore!" Anthony laughed and started to tickle me. I giggled and swatted his hand away. "I'll always want you," he said softly, "I always have, I always will," his eyes darkened as if he were remembering. The memory of Anthony's room in La Vie flashed before my eyes. His obsession with me. Funny how the person I never thought I could love as anything other than a brother was now going to be my husband. My life was full of irony it seemed. Anthony kissed me on the lips gently at first, then harder. He pushed me back onto the bed and his hands roamed over my body. I sighed as he pulled my shirt over my head and kissed my chest and stomach. My fingers entwined in his hair at the back of his head. He stood up and took off his shirt. I reached out and touched his muscular chest and stomach. He worked out every week and it was really paying off I thought. Soon he was in bed beside me, naked. I scooted out of my skirt and rolled on top of him kissing him passionately. "I love you Skye," he murmured as he unclipped my bra and pulled off my panties. I loved him so much; I realized at that moment that if I ever lost him, I would surely die. I needed him, I always would. We made love passionately and fell asleep in each other's arms afterwards.  
  
The next day we slept in. I was so happy to wake up slowly instead of being jerked awake my the sound of Anthony's alarm clock and the sounds of him getting ready to go into the shop. This was how it was supposed to be. I pulled myself out from under Anthony's arm slowly, so as not to wake him and put on a robe. I went out to the balcony and sat on my favourite lounge chair. There were no birds chirping, they had all flown south for the winter. It was peaceful and quiet outside; so different from Toronto with all the honking horns and cars trying to beat rush hour. I took a deep breath of the clean, pollution free air and sighed with happiness. Suddenly arms encircled my waist and I yelped in surprise. Anthony let out a deep laugh and pulled me close to him. "This is nice," he said. I nodded. We went downstairs and Roberta made us a huge brunch of, pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, orange juice and tons of fruit. Rachel and Roberta ate with us. They usually did. We didn't believe in making the servants cook twice and eat separately. They were our friends, why not act like it? "Roberta, we are having the other servants and cooks over today to meet us and look at the house," I said while we ate. We were going to have the reception at the house. There weren't going to be very many people so we would have a quartet and people could dance in the dining room. We were going to clear it out and decorate it. Roberta nodded. When I first told her that we would be hiring extra servants, she had objected, she insisted that she could do it on her own. But I told her that it would be a lot of work and we wanted her to be able to be a guest at our wedding and not have to be working the whole time. She agreed when she thought about it that way. I sat out on the dock with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate until it was time for the other servants to come. The doorbell rang and I answered it with Anthony a few feet behind me. Outside were two young women, an older, stern looking woman and a proper looking man. "Hello," I said smiling, "please come in," they entered the house. I introduced Anthony and myself. The older woman seemed to be the boss of the other three; she introduces them all. "I am Glenda, this is Nikola," she pointed to the young, brunette woman, "This is Allison, and this is Wesley," Allison had blond hair that was pulled into a very tight bun at the back of her head. Wesley looked very pleasant with his slightly gray hair and confident demeanor. I showed them around the house and introduced them to Roberta and Rachel. Wesley and Rachel seemed to be getting along well, I noticed. I smiled when she looked at me and pointed to Wesley with a dreamy look on her face. Glenda looked happy when she saw how large the kitchen was. I thought Nikola and Allison were very pleasant. I thought I could become friends with them. They, along with Wesley would be the servers at the reception. Rachel offered to show Wesley the rest of the house so I went off with Nikola and Allison. "If you don't mind me saying, I think your fiancé is very cute," Nikola said. Allison gasped, as if I was going to fire them both for having an opinion. I laughed, "Well thank you, I'm sure he'll be pleased to hear that," "You must be so excited about getting married," Nikola gushed. I couldn't believe how forward she was. I liked her. She was so different from anyone I had known before. She wasn't afraid to say what she was thinking. "Yes," I replied. All four of them would be back the day before the wedding to decorate the dining room. I said goodbye to them at the door. I was looking forward to talking to Nikola again. I needed some more friends in Duncan. I spotted Rachel waiting at the foot of the stairs. She looked like a schoolgirl waiting to tell her best friend about her new crush. I laughed at her excited expression. I was happy to see that she liked a man even at her age. We hurried upstairs and I shooed Anthony out of our room. He frowned at our giggling but left quickly. "Wesley isn't married, never has been and, oh Skye, he's wonderful!" Rachel exclaimed. "Rachel! I've never seen you act like this!" I cried. We laughed together as she told me about how Wesley said he would look forward to seeing her again. She thought they had made a real connection and I hoped that that was true. Rachel deserved to be happy just as much as I did. I told Rachel how much I like Nikola. She was happy that I might have found a new friend in Duncan. I needed people to talk to that were my own age. It had been a good day. I fell asleep that night looking forward to spending the rest of my life as happy as I had been today. Too bad I didn't know that my dream was impossible.  
  
Decorating the dining room was the most fun I'd had in a while. We threw streamers all over the chandeliers and put up a huge sign that read: Congratulations Skye and Anthony!! The room didn't exactly look elegant when we were done but that wasn't what we were going for anyway. We wanted it to look like we had had fun doing it, so people would want to have fun and not be afraid of ruining it. I talked to Nikola a lot while we worked. She was surprised at first that I would be helping. She said that most of the people she worked for ordered her to do something and then left. Allison kept to herself all day. It was like she thought it was improper to be friendly with the boss. "Why won't Allison talk with us?" I asked Nikola. Nikola shook her head and her dark hair tumbled over her shoulder. She pushed it out of the way and said, "She was raised with strict parents, she won't do anything that they wouldn't have let her do," I frowned, "Her parents won't let her be friendly?" I asked. Nikola shrugged. Roberta and Glenda worked in the kitchen at some of the food for the next night. That night I slept in my bed alone. Anthony was staying at Timothy Reynolds' house. We wanted to keep up the tradition of not seeing eachother until I came down the aisle. I slept peacefully. When my alarm clock rang the next morning at 9:00am I shot out of bed feeling overwhelmed and flustered all of the sudden. I had so much to do! Get my hair and makeup down, get dressed, and help Rachel. So much to do! I didn't eat breakfast, I was too nervous. Rachel and I went to a salon in town and had our hair done. All the help was already at the house helping Roberta cook and clean. When we got back to the house it was only an hour before I had to be at the church. I got into my dress and waited in my room until someone came to tell me that the car was here. My heart was thumping so loudly; I thought it was going to come right out of my chest. Finally it was time, I walked down the aisle of the church and smiled at all the people who had come to see me become the happiest woman alive. Anthony looked so handsome in his tuxedo, I couldn't wait until we were finished our vows and I could kiss him. When that moment came, we gazed into each other's eyes and kissed gently. The perfect wedding kiss. Everyone clapped and we left the church to go to the house. "Are you happy?" Anthony asked me in the car. "I've never been happier," I answered. We held hands until we entered the dining room where everyone was waiting. We greeted the guests and danced. It was the most wonderful night of my life and I knew no matter what I would never forget it. 


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three: Torn  
  
We didn't have a honeymoon. Well we didn't go anywhere at least. Anthony stayed home from the store, just as he'd promised and we slept in everyday. I was blissfully happy all week until the Monday when Anthony would return to work. I wanted him to stay home but he said he had to get back. "But, it isn't tourist season, it won't be busy, get George to handle it," I said. George was the assistant manager. "I need to go back Skye, I won't miss dinner, I promise," he gave me a kiss and left me alone in the large house. It wasn't good when Anthony left me alone to think about the past. The past made me depressed and unhappy. I wanted something happy to think about. Rachel had the day off to spend time with Wesley. They had grown even closer over the last week. Rachel told me she might actually be falling in love with him. I was so happy for her. I went out onto a balcony that belonged to one of the guest rooms. It had a view of the driveway. I stared at it, half expecting someone to come driving in to visit me. But no one would come. I was about to go back inside when I heard a vehicle's engine coming up the drive. It was a red SUV. I didn't know anyone with that kind of car. I went downstairs and waited for the doorbell to ring. When it did, I went to the door. I opened it curiously. Standing there was a man my age with a strong square jaw and shaggy blond hair. His hazel eyes softened when he saw me. Suddenly everything went black.  
  
I woke up on the floor to someone slapping my cheeks. "Skye..skye.." someone was saying. My eyes fluttered open and Derek's face loomed over me. I sat up quickly. My head started swimming so I lay back down. "What happened?" I asked. "You fainted," he said. I sat up more slowly this time and felt ok. Derek was here. He had found me. After five years he had finally found me. I had dreamed of and dreaded this moment since I left La Vie that night. This was going to complicate my simple life. The simple life that I enjoyed living. Suddenly I was angry. Couldn't Derek take a hint? I left him for a reason. I stood up quickly and ignored the throbbing pain in my head. "What are you doing here?" I demanded to know. He looked at me in surprise. What did he expect? I would be ecstatic to see him? Did he think I was being held against my will and he would be my rescuer? "I.I didn't know where you were," he said lamely. "That was the plan!" I said throwing my hands up in exasperation. He looked confused. His beautiful hazel eyes looked tired and sad. My heart softened at the thought of him searching for me. Wondering where I had gone. Not even knowing if I was alive. What had I done? In the process of trying to prevent him from being hurt I had hurt him even more. My shoulders sagged as the realization washed over me. "I missed you Skye," Derek said sadly. I looked up at him. He was so handsome, and I had missed him. He stepped closer to me and put his arms around my waist. He leaned closer and kissed me on the lips, hard. I put my hands on his strong chest and was about to push him away but I just didn't want to. Anthony's face flashed before my eyes. "No," I murmured into his mouth. I pushed him away and took a minute to catch my breath. "What's wrong?" he asked. He looked so happy to see me again. But.I was married to Anthony now. "You have to leave, Anthony might come home," I said glancing out the window. Derek looked confused. "Anthony's here?" he asked. I nodded, "We were married a week ago," I said softly. His face fell and tears sprang to his eyes. He looked so exhausted. I hated to hurt him again. Why did I have to do this to everyone I loved? "No, no, we were going to get married," he stammered. "I'm sorry Derek, I didn't want to hurt you," I tried to explain. "Well this was sure a good way to do that," he said bitterly. He brushed past me and slammed the door on his way out. Tears sprang to my eyes and overflowed onto my cheeks. I ran up to my room. I lay face down on the bed and sobbed. What had I done? I somehow always managed to do exactly the opposite of what was right. Seeing Derek had awakened old feelings in me. Feelings that I had buried along with memories of Pop and my mother. This couldn't be happening to me. I heard aloud crash from downstairs. I shot out of bed and down the stairs. Anthony was in the hallway; his face was beat red. There was a broken vase on the floor in front of him. His hands were clenched into fists. He looked absolutely livid. Oh no, I thought frantically, does he know about Derek? He looked up at me and smiled bitterly, "So Derek Brooks was here?" he asked. I looked at me feet and didn't say anything. "He came to the shop and started to rant and rave about me stealing you away from him he drove all the customers out!" Anthony cried angrily. I was silent. I didn't know what to say. "Skye? Say something!" he yelled. I jumped, "I'm sorry, but it isn't my fault," I told him. "Oh yeah," Anthony said, "Nothing's ever your fault. It's always Maxine or Trevor or Pop, never you," I shrank away from my husband and crossed my arms across my chest trying to look more defiant then I felt. "What are you angry about? Nothing happened between Derek and I, I love you," I said softly, trying to look sad and hurt my Anthony's reaction. "For now," he muttered. He walked away, leaving me standing in the hall, more confused than ever. Anthony and I were just married, why did fate have to choose this time in my life to bring my old love back to me? What did I do to deserve this? Lots, the voice in my head said, you are the cause of Gregory and Trevor's death and your mother's disappearance. "No," I said out loud. Yes, the voice said I ran outside into the chilly October air. I didn't feel the cold on my skin as I ran into the woods towards the lake. I had to escape the voice. All I could think about was getting away.  
  
You killed Gregory. You killed Trevor. It's all your fault. All your fault, the voice taunted.  
  
"NO!" I screamed. Suddenly I broke out onto the lakeshore. Maybe if I drowned the voice then it would stop. I walked into the lake. The cold water shocked my legs through my jeans. I had to stop the voice.  
  
KILLER! KILLER! KILLER! KILLER!  
  
I ducked my head under water but the voice didn't stop.  
  
KILLER! KILLER! KILLER! KILLER!  
  
I opened my mouth to scream and water poured into my mouth. I couldn't breath, but I didn't care, if I were unconscious then I wouldn't hear the accusing voice. I sucked water into my lungs. I'll see you soon, Daddy, I thought. My lungs were about to explode when I felt strong arms grab me under the arms and drag me out of the water. I lay limp in the person's arms and looked up to see who had rescued me. It's my prince, I thought. I blacked out before I could see his face.  
  
I woke up in my bed under what felt like hundreds of blankets. Despite the blankets I was still shivering. I looked to the side and found Anthony asleep in a chair. I pulled the blanket closer to my nose and sunk into the pillows. The voices were gone now. Anthony stirred and his eyes fluttered open. He saw me looking at him and jumped up, "Skye!" he ran over to the bed and kissed my on the forehead. "I'm so sorry! I love you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he muttered over and over. I felt his warm tears on my skin as he held me close to him. "What happened?" I managed to choke out. He pulled back and looked at me with love and worry in his eyes, "You almost drowned in the lake," he said. I remembered someone pulling me out of the water. My prince. I didn't get to see his face. "I found you on the shore. You must have crawled out and then passed out," Anthony said. I shook my head, I hadn't crawled out, "No, I--" "I know, I couldn't believe you would do that either," Anthony interrupted, "I feel so awful, I promise I will never yell at you like that again," He hugged me tightly. I remembered suddenly Derek coming to the house and then Anthony coming home furious about it. I remembered the accusing voices. Was I going crazy?  
  
Anthony slept beside me that night. He kept me warm with his body. It took me a long time to fall asleep that night. I couldn't stop thinking about the person who pulled me out of the lake. I would have died if it weren't for that person. It wasn't Anthony; he thought I crawled out myself. I knew that someone had saved me. But who? 


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four: Wrong  
  
I recuperated in bed for the next few days. Anthony didn't bring up Derek again and neither did I. I assumed he had left after I told him I was married to Anthony now. I was a little sad about the thought of never seeing Derek again, but I had Anthony now and I had done it before so I could do it again. I got out of bed, three days after the lake incident. Anthony was at the shop. He had gone back to going every day. Business was never good for the shop after Halloween, which was fast approaching. He would only have the shop open, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesdays in the winter. I was looking forward to having him home more often. I went downstairs and had some cereal for breakfast. There was a knock at the door. My heart jumped into my throat. The last time I had answered the door, it hadn't been pleasant. Nevertheless, I got up and went to the front door. To my relief, it was Nikola standing on the front step. "Nikola!" I cried happily. I hadn't seen her since the wedding. "Good morning," she said brightly. I stepped back and she came inside. We sat in the living room with cups of coffee and muffins that Roberta had just made. "I heard about what happened,' she said. I looked down, feeling foolish. I didn't feel good about pretty much attempting suicide. I had put everyone through so much already. "You did," I said. It was more a statement then a question. "Why did you do it?" she asked. I told her about Derek coming back and how angry Anthony had been. I left out the part about the voices in my head. I didn't want my new friend to think I was crazy. "What does he look like?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "He had shaggy blond hair and hazel eyes with long lashes. He's tall and lanky but muscular at the same time, but he's gone," I told her. I saw his sad hazel eyes looking at me sadly. Nikola shook her head, "No, I think he just bought the house next to me," she said, I stared at her. No, he wouldn't have done that, no. I needed him to be gone. I couldn't have him around. I knew he would be tempting and I just didn't know if I had the control not to be with him ever. Anthony would not be happy. "He just moved in yesterday and he looked like your description," Nikola told me. I dropped my head into my hands in astonishment. "Don't worry, Anthony loves you, it'll be fine," Nikola reassured me. If only she knew how wrong she was.  
  
If Anthony knew about Derek moving into a house in Duncan than he didn't let on. I was grateful for that, because I just didn't want to talk about it. I wanted to put Derek out of my head. Halloween came and went and I started to think that maybe Nikola was wrong. I hadn't seen Derek around, he hadn't come to visit and I had been to town many times and hadn't seen him. After a while I just couldn't take not knowing anymore. While Anthony was at the store one Saturday in early November I took the car to town. I drove towards Nikola's small house. I knew that Allison lived to the right of her so Derek's house must have been the one to the left. It was very small, with a little wrap around porch and a picket fence. The air was cold and it nipped at my legs through my thin pants. I went up to the door, feeling nervous. I didn't know if I wanted him to be there or not. I hesitated before knocking on the door twice. I really didn't know what to expect if he was there. The door was pulled open and there he stood. Derek Brooks, with his blond hair and beautiful hazel eyes. "Skye," he said smiling, "I was wondering when you would visit," "You were?" I asked, surprised. He nodded and stepped back so I could come inside. The inside of the house was very cozy. There was a small fire in the fireplace and the furniture looked old but comfortable. "Sit, please," he gestured toward a worn chair. I sat down. "Derek, I--" I started sitting forward. "No need to explain, I knew you'd be mine again eventually," he said. I shook my head in confusion, "I'm not yours, I wanted to know if it was really you living here," I explained. I thought he was acting very cocky, which wasn't a part of his personality at all. His smile faltered and I felt a pang of guilt once again for disappointing him. He looked devastated. "So you chose Anthony over me," he said. "No! No Derek, I loved you, I left because I felt like I was going to hurt you, I felt responsible for Trevor's death," I said. "But you weren't anywhere near the accident," Derek protested. "I know, but it was my fault he started drinking and hanging with the wrong crowd," I said tears coming to my eyes as I remembered the day we broke up.  
  
"Oh Skye," he came over to be and held me in his arms. It felt like I had gone backing time, back to before Trevor had been in the accident and Derek and I were so happy. We stayed like that for a long while until I caught a glance at the clock on the mantel. I jumped up in alarm. Anthony would be coming home in less than ten minutes! "What is it?" Derek asked. "I have to go," I said, I grabbed my coat and ran out the door. "Skye! Wait!" Derek called from the doorway. But I didn't stop. Anthony would wonder where I had been all day. I had to get home before Roberta or Rachel told him I hadn't been at the house all day. I sped down the road, way over the speed limit. I screeched into the driveway and breathed a sigh of relief to see that Anthony's car wasn't there. I got out of the car and hurried into the house. I found Roberta in the kitchen, making lasagna for dinner. I could smell garlic bread baking in the oven. I caught my breath quickly, "has Anthony been here?" I asked. Roberta gave me a strange look, "Yes," she answered. My heart sank. "He left after receiving a phone call, he was asking where you were, I told him you hadn't been home all day, he said to tell you he would be home shortly before dinner," Roberta explained. I turned away from her. My heart was pounding. Anthony could find out where I had been all day. That would be a disaster. "And," Roberta added before I left the kitchen, "You are having guests," I turned around in surprise, "Who?" I asked. "I don't know, Anthony wanted it to be a surprise for you," she said. I left the kitchen. Who could be coming to dinner? Who would Anthony want to surprise me with? I decided to dress up a little for dinner. I didn't know who it would be but I thought I might as well look presentable. I showered and put on a blue blouse that matched my sky blue eyes. My eyes had bags under them from all the stress. My jet black hair was knotted in places and it took me awhile to get out all the tangles. When I got out of the bathroom Rachel was waiting for me. "Anthony is back with the guests, they are waiting in the living room," she said. "Who are these mystery guests?" I asked her. She smiled mischievously, "You'll see," she said and left the room. I got ready as fast as I could. The suspense over the guests was killing me. I just hoped that the dinner guests would help Anthony forget that I hadn't been home all day. I went down the stairs and entered the living room. Sitting on the couch were a young girl and an even younger boy. The girl had lovely, curly brown hair and the most familiar brown eyes. The boy looked about eleven. He was small and he was huddled up against the girl. His hair was straw coloured and his eyes were.gray. I would always remember those sad gray eyes. "Tyler! Erin!" I cried. Erin smiled a little but Tyler didn't do anything. "What are you-Anthony what-what's going on?" I stammered. "They are going to live with us, the foster center found out they had relatives and called me today, I went to pick them up from the city an hour from here," Anthony explained. I was so surprised to see my half sister and brother I could hardly speak. I hadn't seen either of them since I had left the trailer park in Monkton almost ten years ago. I ran over and hugged them. Erin was stiff and rigid and she didn't hug me back. I ignored her strange coldness towards me. "How have you been?" I asked. "Since Anthony left we have been in five different foster homes," Erin said. She had a little bitterness in her voice. I glanced at Anthony quickly, "Oh, I'm sorry," I said. Everyone was silent for a minute. Finally Anthony stood up and clapped his hands together, "Well, isn't this great? All of us together again?" No one said anything. "Uh, Skye, why don't we show them what rooms they can have," Anthony said. I brightened a little, "Rooms, yes," we headed upstairs and showed them the four guest rooms. None of them were decorated. We hadn't had the time or energy to decorate them and we really had no reason to, no one ever came to visit long enough to stay over night. "We can decorate them however you want," I told Erin and Tyler. Erin looked excited about getting a room so large. There were walk-in closets and each room had it's own bathroom. Erin chose a room with a large canopy bed and white walls. Tyler chose a room with a double bed and a very large desk. We ate our dinner in an uncomfortable silence and after dinner I was very tired. "Well, I bet you two are tired, so we'll see you in the morning," Anthony said. "Goodnight," Erin said. Tyler just walked off in the direction of his room. Anthony and I went to our room and got ready for bed. I crawled into bed next to Anthony and snuggled under the covers. "I'll take them to the city tomorrow and get them new clothes," I said. I was excited to go shopping for someone other than myself. "And I'll get some paint and new blankets for the beds, and get them enrolled in the school in Duncan, and show them around town and--" "Skye!" Anthony said laughing, "There is lots of time to do all of that, we're together again, that's all that matters," "Your right," I said. I turned off the light and closed my eyes. "Hey, where were you all day today?" Anthony asked. I froze. "Um, I was just uh, hanging out with Nikola," I answered. "Did you two have fun?" he asked. "Yes," I said. He fell asleep after that. I was glad that it was dark enough in the room for him to miss the blush that stained my cheeks. I hated lying to him, but I didn't want him to be angry. This was for the best? I was only protecting him. Wasn't I? 


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five: Routine  
  
I was surprised the next morning to find that Erin had come down on her own and gotten breakfast. I remembered her always been an early riser. She was in the TV room watching Hey Arnold when I found her. I guessed Rachel or Roberta must have told her where the TV was. Anthony still wasn't up. He usually slept late on Sundays. "Good morning," I said sitting down. "Morning," she said. We sat together watching the TV for a minute. "Did you sleep well?" I asked. "Yes, thank you," she answered not taking her eyes off the television. "I'm going to take you and Tyler shopping today," I told her. That caught her interest, "Really?" her eyes lit up. I laughed. "What?" she asked. "Nothing. I guess you like to shop," I said. She nodded, "What sixteen year old girl doesn't." she asked. I shrugged. "Do you think Tyler will be getting up soon?" I asked. She turned back to the TV, "He's up," she said. "Where is he?" I asked looking around in case I had missed him. "He's in his room, he'll be down in a minute," she said, "I'm going to get dressed," she stood up and left the room. Why would Tyler be awake but not come down? Was he nervous about coming to live with Anthony and I again? I didn't know how he could be. But as I thought about the previous night, I realized that Tyler hadn't said a single word. He barely smiled when he saw me again. I was like a mother to him in Monkton, shouldn't he be happy to see me again? Erin came down the stairs with Tyler trailing behind her. It looked like he was clinging to the back of her shirt. He used to do that with me when Pop would come home drunk. But he was safe here and he was a teenager now, shouldn't he have outgrown that by now? "Okay, let's go!" I said. I told Rachel to tell Anthony where we were going and we set out in my car. It took and hour to get to the city with the best mall. On the drive there, Tyler huddled in the back seat, not saying anything. Erin sat up front with me. I noticed that her white blouse was very tight and she was a little over developed in the chest area so she shouldn't be wearing something like that. I told myself to get her something that fit better while we were at the mall. "What was it like on Toronto?" Erin asked. I swallowed. I didn't really want to think about Toronto but I couldn't ignore Erin's question. Now that my half brother and sister were here, I had to face the past. "It was wonderful, Trevor really helped me get settled in," I told her. "Trevor?" he asked. Anthony hadn't told her about his twin brother? Well, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, they had never gotten along and as far as Anthony was concerned, Trevor didn't even exist. "Anthony's twin brother," I said. "Anthony has a twin?" Erin asked incredulously. "Yep," I said. I told her about school and the friends I had made. I left out the part about Derek, not wanted to think about him now. We arrived at the mall a little before lunch. WE went to the food court and had something to eat. Tyler only nibbled at his slice of pizza. I noticed how thin he was. I was starting to get a little worried about him; he was acting strange. But Erin didn't notice his behavior. We went to every store and bought jeans, pants, blouses, sweaters, T- shirts, underwear. We bought every possible thing. We could hardly carry all the bags. Erin was very excited about all the new clothes. Tyler didn't seem too happy though. It was as if he didn't really care if he had anything to wear. We passed a skateboard shop and I noticed that Tyler was staring into the window. He looked longingly at a skateboard with a red and orange flame design on it. We stopped at a bench in front of the store and Tyler kept gazing inside, but he didn't say anything. "Do you skateboard?" I asked him. "Not really," he said. His voice was deep and it surprised me. Well, he was thirteen so I guess it was normal. "Well, do you want a skateboard," I asked. Erin glanced back and forth between her brother and I. She looked afraid about what he would do. His face lit up a little, "Can I really get one?" he asked hopefully. "Let's go see how much they are," Erin stayed on the bench with the bags. I was about to follow Tyler into the store when Erin grabbed my wrist and pulled me back, "You better not break any promises with him," she said. I stared at her in surprise, "Why would I do that?" I asked. "Just saying," she let go of my wrist and I went into the store. This was getting weirder by the minute. Tyler was looking at the board with the fire design. I looked at the price. I didn't know what a good price for a skateboard would be but when I saw the happy look on his face I couldn't resist getting it for him. He deserved to get something he wanted for once. I paid for the board and Tyler carried it, finally looking happy. We had lunch in the food court. We were having trouble carrying all our bags so we went outside and put them in the car. I noticed that Erin was picking out clothes that were very revealing and probably a size too small for her. I tried to persuade her to get different things but she would look at me with ice in her eyes as if saying, you owe me. I let her buy what she wanted. I felt so weak, why couldn't I stand up to a sixteen year old? I felt awful about what they had been through since I left them. Erin had only been nine years old, she couldn't stand up to Pop, that had always been me or Anthony's job. We left the mall before suppertime. Erin was excited about decorating her room; she had never been able to have her own room before. I felt another pang of guilt when she said that. When we got back to the house, Tyler wanted to try out his new skateboard. I was nervous about him riding it on the icy driveway. "Maybe you should wait until later, we are going to eat supper," I told him. He looked disappointed but followed Erin and I into the house. Anthony helped us get all the bags from the car. "Did you guys buy the whole mall?" Anthony asked after the fourth trip to the car. "Almost," I answered laughing. We ordered pizza that night for dinner. Erin seemed a little uptight. She didn't smile when we did. She kept glancing at Tyler. Tyler ate very little; he didn't speak one word throughout the night. I was starting to get a little worried about him. Why didn't he speak? Finally we went to bed. I would take Erin and Tyler to school tomorrow. Tyler seemed to shrink closer to Erin when I told them this. They wouldn't go to the same school. Tyler was in grade eight and Erin in grade eleven. In bed I scooted into Anthony's arms and sighed. "I worried about Tyler," I said. "He's just shy, he'll get better," he said. That was one thing that bothered me about Anthony. He expected all our problems to solve themselves. He wouldn't do anything about a leaky pipe in the bathroom or a crack in the window. I would have to get a repairman out to the house. He thought everything would be fine if he just ignored it. I hoped there wasn't really anything wrong with Tyler. I closed my eyes and despite myself I imagined I was in Derek's arms. I imagined his soft hazel eyes staring into mine. I could feel him lovingly stroking my arm and my stomach and under my pajama shirt. I moaned. I missed Derek so much. I kept my eyes closed as he kissed my neck and pulled my shirt over my head. I ran my fingers through his shaggy hair. But something wasn't right, his hair wasn't shaggy, it was too short. My eyes popped open and I let out a small cry to see Anthony hovering above me. I pulled the covers up over my naked breasts and pushed him away. It wasn't Derek; I had imagined Anthony was Derek. What was wrong with me? "Skye? What's wrong?" Anthony asked, confused. I turned away from him as my eyes filled with tears, "I..I just..not now," I stammered. "But, that's not what you wanted a few seconds ago," he said, reaching over and putting his arm around my waist. He pulled my closer to him and I swallowed a gasp. I felt like I was cheating on Derek by doing this. That's ridiculous, I told myself, you are married to Anthony. "C'mon Skye," Anthony murmured into my hair. What could I do? I couldn't tell him that I wished he were really Derek. I loved Anthony. But I missed what I had with Derek. I pictured Derek standing in front of me, smiling. He looked into my eyes, like I remembered him doing many times before. He used to tell me that my eyes made him feel like he was floating. I felt him get into bed and kiss me everywhere. I let him take off my clothes and make love to me. I knew somewhere in the back of my head that it was really Anthony but I didn't let that knowledge ruin my memories. Tonight I was with Derek again. When it was over, Anthony rolled away from me and fell asleep. I cried softly. I wished he would hold me until we fell asleep together like Derek did. It felt like Anthony was just using me. What was I going to do? Why did Derek have to come and find me? Couldn't he just leave me to live my perfect simple life? I fell into a restless sleep.  
  
I woke up to a loud thump that came from the room beside mine. My eyes snapped open. Trevor was gone. He must have gone back to his room while I was still asleep, I thought. I glanced at my clock; it was 5:30am. I got out of bed and put on a robe. I knew the thump had come from Anthony's room. I snuck out into the hall and went to his door. I knocked twice. No answer. "Anthony," I called quietly. I opened the door slowly and gasped at what I saw. The walls of Anthony's room were covered in pictures of me. Big ones and small ones, the entire room was a collage of me. There were even some baby pictures and pictures from Monkton. That is when I realized that Anthony hadn't just developed a crush on me, he had been obsessed with me ever since we lived in the trailer. Even though he thought we were brother and sister! He was in love with me. Suddenly he jumped out from behind the door. "You weren't supposed to see it yet, but oh well, what do you think?" he had a drowsy look in his eyes. But they were alert and wide waiting for my reaction. I only stood there and stared in horror. Anthony jumped up in the air and flailed around like a fish out of water. I stepped back afraid of his strange behavior. "Anthony, why did you do this?" I finally choked out. He stared at me, a hurt look forming on his face, "You mean you don't know?" he asked, "I love you always and forever," he chanted "always and forever," I jerked awake suddenly. I was sweating. The morning sun was filtering into the room through the filmy curtains. I was at home, in Duncan. It had just been a dream. A terrible dream. Dreams of the collage Anthony had made of me had haunted me until his return to Toronto from his Grandparents house. They had stopped once I saw he was normal now. But I was remembering how obsessed Anthony had been with me. I had made him like that. I had later pushed Trevor away and he had turned to alcohol, which had led to his untimely death. Everything was my fault. At that time the only person I hadn't hurt was Derek. And then what did I decide to do? Leave Toronto and Derek forever. I finally realized that by leaving I had only hurt more people even more. "No," I said to myself. You have to forget the past. Think about the future, your future with Anthony. I got up and showered. I had to take Erin and Tyler to school today. When I got to the kitchen I found them both eating cereal that Roberta had gotten out for them. I was happy to see the Tyler had decided to come down on his own today. "Good morning," I said, commanding my voice to be steady. "Morning," Erin said. Tyler sat beside her silently. "Are you ready to go to school?" I asked cheerfully. Tyler shuddered a little and started to fiddle with Erin's shirt. She gently pushed his hands away and nodded. We left the house a few minutes later. Tyler huddled in the back seat looking like a frightened puppy. I felt my heart break at how shy he was. I couldn't help wondering if he was like that because of me. Had he become like this so no one could ever hurt him again? We went to Tyler's school first. Duncan District Elementary School. Erin came inside with us. Tyler wouldn't go inside until she gently pulled him out of the car and held his hand. I was very concerned. A thirteen year old shouldn't have to have his hand held. We met the principal Mr. Sanders. He was a short, chubby man with light brown that was thinning out on the top. He wore a brown suit and he smiled warmly when we entered. I thought he seemed very pleasant. Apparently Tyler didn't feel the same way because he hovered by the door while Erin and I sat down on the chairs in front of Mr. Sanders' desk. "I'm sure Tyler will enjoy our school," Mr. Sanders said, "I'll get Miss Moss to take you to you class room," he said to Tyler. Tyler glanced at Erin nervously and she nodded. He left the room and Mr. Sanders turned back to us. "He's a quiet boy I see," he said. "He's just nervous around strangers," Erin snapped. Mr. Sanders looked startled. I was surprised to hear her speak to the principal that way also, but I didn't say anything. "Just please keep an eye on him for the first week," I said. "Oh, of course, we take great pride in the success of our students," Mr. Sanders said. We stood and shook hands and Erin and I were off to Duncan Secondary School. In the parking lot I grabbed Erin's wrist before she could get out. "Is there anything you need to tell me about Tyler?" I asked her. She sat back and sighed, "When you left he became more quiet than he was before but he was still okay. But when Anthony left, he just couldn't handle it. He stopped talking altogether. Pop would try to beat the words out of him but that would only make him cry silently. He didn't even make any noise when he sobbed. I love him so much, it was so hard to watch him in so much pain," she told me. Sorrow welled up in my chest. So it was my fault. I never should have left Monkton. All I had done was ruin people's lives. How could I have been so damn selfish? "While we were in foster care he went to a therapist, he's gotten a lot better, but he's still very fragile," Erin told me. "We will help him, he will be ok," I said more for myself than for Erin. We went into Erin's school and got her registered and into her classes. I was driving home when I saw Nikola out for a walk. A beeped the horn and she jumped in surprise. I laughed and pulled up beside her. "Sorry," I said smiling. She smiled back, "Hey, what's up," she asked. "Long story," I said. "How about you come back to my house and tell me about it," she said. She got in the passengers side and I drove us to her house. I saw Derek's quiet little house and felt a sadness creep into my bones. I wondered for a minute what he was doing but pushed that thought out of my head quickly. Inside Nikola made us some hot chocolate and I told her about my half brother and sister. I told her absolutely everything. I didn't realize how badly I needed someone to talk to. Rachel didn't have much free time anymore. She was out with Wesley constantly. I started to cry when I looked out the window and saw the checkered red and white curtains in Derek's window. Those should have been our curtains. We should have been making our family right now. Nikola came over to me and hugged me tightly. "You have Anthony, you have to focus on your marriage right now. I know Derek isn't exactly making it easy for you but you have to think about your husband and your brother and sister," she said. I knew she was right but I just didn't want that. I wanted a life with Derek. I knew I was an awful person. How could I do this to Anthony? "Yes," I decided, "Anthony is who I love," I would not think about Derek anymore. That part of my life was over. Just because he was here didn't mean I had to do anything about it. I would be fine. My family would be fine. "Thank you Nikola," I told her gratefully," I have to get home," I stood up and went to the door. "Don't' worry Skye, everything will work out how it is meant to," Nikola said. I left her house. I didn't even glance at Derek's house but I could sense someone watching me from the window. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the red and white curtain part. From now on it was not Derek who lived there, it was just Nikola's new neighbor. 


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six: Unconditional Love  
  
For the next few months I buried myself in Erin and Tyler's school life. I went to parent-teacher meetings and I was on the Parent council at Erin's school. She sometimes complained about it but I wanted to be a part of her school life. I even donated some money to the music department at both schools so they could get some new violins. I began to practice my violin everyday again. I hadn't realized how much I had missed it. It helped me express my feelings and cleanse myself in a way. Sometimes Anthony would sit and listen to me. He seemed entranced in my music. He said it was like magic the way it made him leave earth and go somewhere more peaceful. He continued to work at the store, but not such long hours since the tourist visits weren't as frequent in the winter months. We grew closer as married couples should. I thought it had much to do with the fact that neither of us was dwelling on the fact that Derek was living so close by. We just accepted it and moved on. He didn't make any more surprise visits to the house. I rarely saw him in town. He was like a hermit, but I wouldn't let myself talk to him or make any effort to see him. I couldn't make him think that I would even think about leaving Anthony. Tyler was doing mediocre in school. I knew he was very smart but he just didn't want to do anything that would make him stand out, set him apart from the rest of the students. He didn't have any close friends. He never brought any friends to the house and he never talked about anything going on at school. I tried to get him to try out for sports teams but he just wouldn't do it. All he did when he was home was practice on his skateboard in the basement. I told him he could use the basement while it was winter because he just couldn't wait until the snow melted to use it. He turned his music up loud in the basement and skated. I was surprised by his taste in music. It was a kind of punk rock. He seemed like symphony kind of guy. I guess he liked music that was opposite of his personality so he could feel better about himself. If it helped him then I wouldn't complain. Erin on the other hand was the social butterfly. She was rarely home. She was always out with girlfriends or on the occasional date. I suspected that sometimes when she said she was with friends she was really with boys. Boys were always calling her. She hogged the telephone to the point that I made her start helping Anthony out at the store and pay for her own phone line. I had enough money to pay for it myself but I didn't want to spoil her. Anthony and Erin grew close again. It made me smile to see them playing checkers in the living room and laughing at TV shows together. The only thing that bothered me was the way Erin would snuggle up close to Anthony and he would put his arm around her. To him he was just being affectionate to his little sister but to her it seemed like more. Sometimes I would go down the basement steps and watch Tyler skate. He learned how to do tricks all by himself. He watched skateboarding competitions on TV and then tried to copy the tricks. He was getting very good, very fast. It was on a December afternoon a few days before Christmas when I was watching him try a trick called a heelflip. (I had learned the names of some of the tricks by watching the competitions with him) He got up in the air but the board turned to the side and he fell to the concrete floor. I heard a snap and I bolted down the remaining three steps. He was sitting up cradling his right arm. I could tell that he was it pain but he didn't make a sound. His wrist immediately started to turn purple and swell up. "We have to get to the hospital, it looks broken," I told him. I helped him stand up and put my arm around his shoulders on the way up the stairs. He swayed and bumped the railing. He let out a yelp. "It'll be ok, it's ok Tyler," I soothed. We made it up the stairs and into the front foyer. I knew Anthony and Erin were playing checkers in the den. "Anthony!" I called out. After a minute he came out of the den. His hair looked a little disheveled and he looked flustered. Erin came out after his and she straightened her skirt. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. What had they been doing in there? I wondered. I was about to ask that very question when Tyler let out a moan of pain. I shook my head and snapped back in to reality, "Tyler's broken his arm, we have to take him to the hospital," I informed them. I expected Erin to come running to her brother and give him a hug but she didn't. She was glued to Anthony's side the whole way to the hospital. I sat in the back with Tyler while Anthony drove with Erin in the front. Tyler looked sad about Erin not really coming to help him. I hugged him tightly. He didn't pull away from me like he usually did. I had been trying to bond with him for a while. I watched his skateboarding shows with him and tried to learn about it so I could talk to him about it. I really wanted him to come out of his shell a little more but he was seemed to be super glued in there. Since Erin and Anthony had gotten closer she had been paying less attention to Tyler and he was clearly hurt by this. I tried to spend time with him but I knew he wanted Erin. It turned out Tyler had fractured a bone in his wrist. He would have to wear a cast for six weeks. I watched the disappointment form on his face when the doctor told him no skateboarding until his cast was off. Back at the house Erin hugged Tyler and whispered something in his ear. He smiled a little but then he went upstairs by himself. "Rachel," I said, "Can you take some Tylenol up to Tyler's room, he's broken his wrist," "Oh no!" Rachel said, "Is he alright?" "He'll be ok," I answered distantly. Rachel and I weren't as close as we used to be. She spent all her free time with Wesley. I hadn't visited Nikola in a while. I watched Anthony and Erin slip back into the den. The picture in my head of them coming out earlier, fixing their clothes flashed before my eyes. I tiptoed to the door quietly and pushed the door open softly so they wouldn't hear. "Erin, we can't let that happen again," Anthony was saying. Let what happen? I wondered nervously. "She doesn't know anything, stop worrying," Erin said. She started towards the door. I jumped away and started up the stairs so she wouldn't know I had heard. I went out onto the balcony off Anthony and my room. It was cold. Snowflakes fluttered down into my dark hair, which was being whipped around my face in the breeze. What had Erin and Anthony been talking about? I had a very bad feeling. The only thing I could think of was Anthony and Erin were..NO, I thought, he wouldn't do that to you. Tears slipped down my cheeks despite my effort to control my emotions. Just the thought of Anthony cheating on me made me want to scream. He wouldn't do that to you, I assured myself. I went back into my bedroom to find Anthony sitting on the bed. He smiled tightly at me. He was ringing his hands together nervously. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Nothing," he said quickly. I looked away from him. I knew something was going on, but I just didn't want to face it right now. So I changed the subject, "For Christmas dinner Wesley and Nikola will be here," I told him, "And Rachel and Roberta of course," "I know," he said. We were silent for a moment. Not a normal silence, but an uncomfortable silence full of unasked questions. I was about to blurt out an accusation when he stood up and went into the bathroom. I stared at the closed door until the water started running. It was ten o'clock at night. I knew I should go to sleep but I was too restless. I went into the hall and to Tyler's room. I knocked twice. There no answer. "Tyler?" I asked opening the door quietly. The room was dark and empty. Where could he be? I wondered. I heard voices in Erin's room next door so I went to see if she knew where he was. I stopped at the door when I heard my name. "Skye is in some kind of trance these days, she doesn't care about us Ty," Erin was saying. I put my ear to the door despite the guilt I felt for eavesdropping. "She does care, why do you think she's letting us live here?" Tyler said. "She feels obligated," Erin told him, "And with good reason," Tyler didn't answer. "She'll be sorry for leaving us when I'm through," Erin said almost too softly for me to hear. I gasped. Why did Erin hate me so much? I was trying to be their friends; helping them with their schoolwork, I never disciplined them. Maybe that was the problem. They had too much freedom, Erin especially. I went back to my room and climbed into bed beside Anthony. I knew he was still awake. "Erin is doing something to deliberately hurt me," I said out loud. I felt him stiffen. My heart sank. That was a good indication that he had something to do with it. Why couldn't everything just go back to the way it was before Mom left Monkton. We were happy then. She loved us all unconditionally. At least I thought she did. Now I didn't even know where she was, or if she was even alive. I loved Erin and Tyler unconditionally but I knew Erin didn't feel the same way about me. She hated me unconditionally.  
  
Christmas came and went with no special happenings. We exchanged our presents and I pretended to be happy. Anthony got Erin a beautiful silver charm bracelet. He got me a CD. We were drifting apart and it was devastating. Tyler got lots of skateboarding videos and magazines to watch and read until he could get back on his board. He wouldn't be out of practice when his wrist healed. Erin smiled sourly at the slightly large sweater I got for her. In my opinion her clothes were too tight. I knew by the look on her face as she set the sweater aside that she would never wear it. Not that I was surprised. We had turkey and all the other Christmas food for dinner that night. We were eating our dessert of pumpkin pie when Rachel made her announcement. "Wesley and I. we're getting married!" she exclaimed. Her smile was stretched ear to ear. "Rachel! That's so great!" I cried. I was truly happy for her. "It's going to be a small wedding, in April, you are all invited," she said. "Congratulations," everyone said. I kept stealing glances at Anthony for the rest of dinner. He didn't look at me once. He just seemed to be either focusing on his food or gazing across the table at Erin. Don't make it to obvious now husband dear, I thought bitterly. Later when Nikola was on her way out I decided that I would go with her. I needed someone to talk to about the whole Anthony-Erin situation. I didn't tell Anthony where I was going. I didn't think he would even notice. At Nikola's house I told her how I found out that Erin and my husband were having an affair. "But Skye, aren't they half brother and sister?" Nikola asked looking a little disgusted. "No! No, Anthony was kidnapped remember?" I told her. "Oh right, your family is just a total mess," she said as a joke. I didn't laugh. It was the truth. We were a mess. So many lies and secrets. Would I ever be happy again? I looked out the window at saw a light on in Derek's house. Nikola saw where I was looking and smiled. "He asked me about you," she said. "He did?" I asked raising my eyebrows in surprise. "You should visit him," she said. I shook my head vehemently; I didn't need any more complications in my marriage. I was planning on confronting Anthony about his affair soon. I needed to focus on our relationship. "C'mon Skye, it's only a visit, you don't have to let anything happen," she said, I thought about what she said and realized she was right. Nothing would have to come of this visit. Just a friend visiting a friend on Christmas. A few minutes later I was standing on Derek's doorstep ringing the doorbell. He opened it almost immediately. He smiled softly when he saw me. I smiled back. "Merry Christmas," I whispered. It took me by surprise to see how handsome he was. I knew what he looked like before of course, but he was so different from Anthony that it was a shock. "I've missed you," he said stepping back so I could enter. I sat down on an armchair and glanced around. There was no Christmas tree, no presents and no turkey dinner. It didn't look like Christmas at all here. "How has your Christmas been?" I asked him. He glanced around and chuckled, "It's Christmas?" I smiled a little but inside I felt very sad. Poor Derek, he had to spend Christmas alone. "Would you like some coffee?" he asked me. "Please," I said. I was feeling very nervous and my stomach was unsettled, I needed something hot to calm me down. He got our coffee and sat down across from me. He leaned forward, propped his elbows on his knees and placed his chin in his hands. His hair was getting long. I wondered if he had gotten a hair cut since he got here. It didn't look like it. "So." I said. I didn't know what to say. We used to be able to sit in silence and be content just to be together. But now I felt uncomfortable. Derek was staring into my eyes. I looked away from him and took a sip of my coffee. "What made you come here today?" Derek asked. "I.I just, it's Christmas," I said as if that explained everything. I didn't want Derek to know about Anthony and Erin. I was too ashamed. My husband had been taken from me by a sixteen year old. "Shouldn't you be with your husband," he asked a little bitterly. I didn't say anything. A great sense of guilt filled me. I had made Derek like this. Bitter and lonely. "I'm sorry Derek," I cried, "I was being selfish, I loved you so much, I still love you, I just didn't want--" Suddenly Derek was kissed me hard on the lips. I didn't protest. I couldn't stop him because I didn't want to. I loved him more than anything in the world. He didn't stop kissing me all night. We ended up in his bedroom together. It felt so good to make love to my true love again. I felt there had been something missing with Anthony, now I knew what it was, he wasn't Derek. Afterwards Derek held me in my arms the way he used to and I felt so content and safe. I fell asleep that way and dreamt of the way our lives should have been. 


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: Betrayal's Revealed  
  
I continued to see Derek every day. Anthony and Erin were too preoccupied to notice. Slowly the pain of Anthony's betrayal faded away. Why did it matter what he was doing? I had Derek now. It felt so good to be with Derek again. I had forgotten how much I truly did love him. Or maybe I had just made myself to forget so I could be happy. My simple life was gone, washed away the day Derek showed up at the door of my house. I didn't know if Anthony knew about my affair with Derek. I slept at home every night. I at least tried to keep it a secret, unlike him who didn't come to bed some nights. I knew he was in Erin's room. There were a couple times when I thought about calling the police. She was underage after all. One night I was reading a magazine in bed. Anthony was nowhere to be found, at least nowhere, where I cared to look. I heard a very faint knock at the door. "Come in," I called. Tyler poked his small blond head in the door. He was still small for his age. I knew that he got made fun of a school sometimes. He didn't seem to care though. He would come home and skateboard. He'd had his cast taken off and the very same day he was in the basement trying new tricks. Soon he'd be able to go outside. It was late March and most of the snow was gone. I could see Tyler was troubled, "What's wrong Tyler?" I asked, concerned. "There are noises coming from Erin's room," he said looking at his feet. Rage bubbled up inside me. Tyler knew what those noises were. He knew what his beloved sister was doing with my husband. He looked so sad. I thrust the blankets off the bed and threw my magazine to the floor. Tyler jumped. "Tyler honey, just sit in here, I'll be right back," I stormed down the hall and stopped outside Erin's room. I could hear muffled moans coming from inside. My anger threatened to explode. I threw open the door to find Erin on top of Anthony, her large breasts bobbing as she rode him. I flipped on the lights and cleared my throat. Erin rolled off my husband lay stretched out on the bed, totally naked. Anthony jumped up in surprise and started sputtering about how it wasn't how it looked. "Well it looks like the two of you were having sex, is that not what it was?" I screamed. "Skye-" He started "I don't want to hear it Anthony," I yelled, "Tyler came in to my room upset, saying he could hear noises coming form this room," Anthony looked down at his feet in shame. Erin stood up and slowly put on her robe. The robe I had bought her with my money. "And you!" I screamed at her, "I took you into my house and look what you do!" I slapped her hard across the face. I couldn't keep my anger and hurt inside anymore. I hated this girl. I didn't know who she was anymore. "You should talk," she whispered, holding her cheek. "Pardon me?" I demanded. "I said, you should talk, you go out every day to the blond man's house," she yelled at me. That stopped me in my tracks. "Derek," Anthony said quietly, "I'll kill him!" he yelled. He hurriedly pulled on his pants and a shirt. "Anthony no!" I cried. He pushed past me and ran down the stairs. I ran after him in desperation. I couldn't let him go to Derek's house. I couldn't let him hurt Derek. I grabbed his arm and yelled, "Anthony! We have to calm down and talk, we have some big problems," He stopped and his face softened. "Oh Skye, I'm sorry," he pulled me close to him, "I didn't mean to hurt you," He started to sob like a child. I held him tightly. We went into the den and talked all night. "I don't want to leave you, I love you, I'll never do it again, please, I love you," he was crying. I loved Derek but this was my husband, I couldn't give up on our marriage, I had to give it another try. I had to try and make it better. "Okay Anthony, I love you too," I hugged him tightly. We kissed and for the rest of the night we sat silently together in the den. What was I going to tell Derek?  
  
The next day I went to Derek's house. Anthony begged me not to but I insisted on telling him the truth. When he answered the door and smiled and pulled me inside kissing me. "No Derek, we need to talk," I said, pushing him away. He looked concerned. "Anthony and I are going to try and make our marriage work," I started, "So..so.I can't see you like this anymore," tears filled up in my eyes. I fought them back. I had to be strong, I could show any sign that, that was not what I wanted. I prayed that Derek wouldn't pick up on my sadness. "No, Skye, we are meant to be together," Derek picked up my hand and tried to kiss my but I turned away. "I'm sorry," I said sadly and turned towards the door. "No, NO, NOO!" Derek screamed, "Not again, I won't lose you again!" I saw the wild anger in his eyes and I fled to house. I could hear things breaking against the walls and smashing on the floor as he threw everything he owned. I jumped in my car as quickly as I could and drove away. In the rearview mirror I saw Derek come out of his house and fall to the ground in defeat. My tears blurred my vision and I swerved to the other side of the road. A car horn blared and I turned the steering wheel hard. I wiped away my tears and made it home safely. I didn't want Anthony to see how devastated I was. I had to save my marriage. I had to.  
  
In April, we had a wedding to attend; Rachel and Wesley would be married on the 25th. She was so excited. I was happy to spend all my time helping her with everything. It helped me think about something other than Derek. I knew he had been drinking a lot lately. Nikola told me about him staying up late at night and drinking. She could hear him talking to himself in his drunken stupor. This situation reminded me of Trevor. It gave me a very bad feeling. If anything happened to Derek, I would want to die. Anthony and I were getting better slowly. He no longer slept in Erin's room. I of course didn't insist the Erin leave my home. I couldn't do that to Tyler and she was my half sister after all. I could forgive and forget. I didn't realize how much I truly loved Anthony until we made love again. I really did love him, even if I loved Derek. I didn't want to hurt Anthony. I was Rachel's maid of honour. I wedding went off without a hitch. A totally normal wedding, though all through the ceremony I was expecting some long lost love of Rachel or Wesley's to come charging into the church to stop the wedding and confess their undying love for one of them. I always expected the worst now. It was better to be prepared I thought. We invited Wesley to work in our house so he and Rachel could be together. It turned out that he was a very good cook and he helped Roberta out a lot in the kitchen. I was happy the weather was so nice. I enjoyed taking walks by the lake in the sunshine. I liked to spend time with nature to think about everything. Tyler and Erin would both be passing their grades. Tyler would be on to high school next year. At first Erin tried to get Anthony to come back to her. I stopped that fast. "Come on Tony, just one more time, she'll never know," I heard her say from the hall way outside the den. "No Erin, never again," Anthony told her firmly. I smiled, happy that he had enough control to deny her. "Aww, come on," she cooed. "NO!" he yelled and he came storming out of the room. He saw me standing there and his face turned crimson, "Skye, nothing-I didn't-" He stammered.  
  
"I know Anthony, it's ok," I told him. I went into the den to find Erin sitting on the couch with a robe on tied up loosely at the waist. She had nothing on underneath. "Erin," I said. She smiled bitterly. "If you ever try anything with my husband again, you will be out of here so fast so won't know what happened, and you'll never see Tyler again," I told her. She didn't even flinch. She just stood up and brushed past me. My hands clenched into fists in fury. Sometimes she made my so angry that I wished I had never taken her in. She deserved to be left out in the cold with nowhere to live. She paid little or no attention to Tyler now. It was like he was invisible to her. He would say good morning to her but she wouldn't answer. The sad look on his face broke my heart. I tried so hard to spend as much time with him as I could but he just didn't want anyone but Erin. He became even more reserved. He never had friends over and he stopped telling us about his skateboarding like he used to. I still watched him outside now and he was getting better every day. The only time he looked even remotely happy was when he was skateboarding. Anthony and I were sitting in bed one night a week after Rachel's wedding. Wesley had moved in the house with us and they seemed very happy together. "Anthony, I think we should take Tyler to see a psychiatrist," I said. "Do you think that is necessary?" he asked. I was surprised he hadn't noticed the way Tyler was acting. "Yes, I do, he is very withdrawn, I think he might be depressed even," I told him. "Alright," Anthony switched off his light and lay down. I sat there for a moment. I was disappointed in Anthony's reaction to Tyler's obvious problem. It was like he didn't really notice him either. What was happening to Anthony? He used to be so caring and protective of Tyler, but now he barely even noticed his presence. Anthony had changed since Erin and Tyler had come to live with us. And I think it was Erin's fault. He was actually becoming like her. Self absorbed and oblivious to whom he was hurting. This was not the man I married. This was not the brother I remembered. Anthony was a slave to his surroundings. When he came to La Vie, he became greedy and was always asking Gregory, his father to buy him one thing or another. Now with Erin here, he had become like her. Only thought of himself. I cried myself to sleep that night, wondering if there was any way to save my marriage, or more importantly, if I even wanted to. 


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight: Complications  
  
I woke up about a week later feeling sick to my stomach. I bolted out of bed and raced to the bathroom just in time to throw up in the toilet. I brushed my teeth and went downstairs. Anthony was already at his shop in town. Tourist season was starting up again. Roberta made me some eggs. "Where's Tyler?" I asked her. "Outside of course," she said smiling. It was Saturday so he didn't have school. I should have known he'd be outside with his skateboard. I got dressed and went outside to watch him. He was practicing a trick called an impossible. It is where you jump off something and spin the board 180 degrees vertically. I had seen the professionals on TV do it and a lot of them didn't land it. Tyler was jumping off the porch. I watched him fall a few times then called to him. I didn't want him to hurt himself again. "Are you sure you should be doing that?" I asked worriedly. He actually rolled his eyes at me. I laughed. Tyler seemed a lot lighter hearted. He used to mope around all the time or have a scowl on his face. Now he was actually smiling at me. "I'll be fine Skye," he said. Just then a blue truck came up the driveway. I girl with small girl with curly blond hair jumped out carrying a skateboard. So this was why Tyler was so happy. She ran over to use with a huge grin on her face. "Hey Ty," she said. "Hey Keely," he said a little shyly. He glanced at me, "Skye this is Keely, we met when I went skateboarding at the park in town last week," he said, "Hello Keely," I said smiling. I was so happy Tyler had finally found a friend. And she was a skateboarder too! "Nice to meet you," she said. "I guess I'll go in now," I said winking at them. Tyler's face turned bright red and Keely only laughed. I watched them from the front window skating together. Tyler was a little more experienced than Keely I could see but I could also see he didn't mind helping her learn the tricks he had perfected like a pop shuvit, which is when you spin the board horizontally under your feet and a heelflip, the trick he had been doing when he broke his wrist. He had perfected the heelflip now and rarely fell while doing this trick. I was so proud of Tyler as I watched him outside. Eventually I left him alone with Keely. I didn't want to spy on them all day. I spent the day reading in the den. I didn't feel normal all day. I had a weird feeling in my stomach and I threw up a few more times. I thought I must have been getting the flu. Tyler came into the den a few minutes before dinner and sat down. He was wearing a pair of baggy jeans and a T-shirt that read, "Skateboarding is not a crime," "Keely seems nice," I said. "Yep," he said, "she's cool," I smiled at him and stood up, "I guess we can go for dinner now," I said. To my surprise Anthony and Erin were both in the dining room when we got in there. I hadn't expected Anthony to be home for dinner and I hadn't seen Erin all day. Anthony had a grim look on his face that made me uneasy. Erin was grinning ear to ear. I sat down in my usually seat across from Anthony. Roberta brought us our salad and I took a bite. I was used to silence at the dinner table. "I have something to say," Erin said. I looked up at her. Tyler was looking at her expectantly also. Only Anthony had his eyes fixed on his salad. "I'm pregnant," she said. My heart stopped. No, no this couldn't be happening. Calm down, my rational side soothed, it might not be Anthony's. "With Anthony's child," she added. I looked down at my hands. So much for rationality, I thought. Well, didn't this just complicate everything perfectly. Anthony wasn't saying anything. "Well?" I prompted, "What do you have to say for yourself?" He looked up at me, "Skye, I-I don't know what to say," he said. "I thought the cheating was over," I said to him. "I didn't cheat on you again," he protested. I looked at Erin, "How far along are you?" I asked. "Three months," she said. So he hadn't cheated on me since we decided we would save our marriage. That made me feel a little better. She still had that smug smile on her face. I had forgotten Tyler was there until he spoke up, "Why are you such a whore?" he asked Erin angrily. "Tyler!" I cried in surprise. "They were nice enough to let us live here and look what you do," he yelled at her. Erin's smile evaporated quickly. She stared at her brother in surprise. "Tyler, I-" "I don't care," he interrupted. He got up, knocking the chair over in the process and stalked out on the dining room. The three of us sat there in silence. No one knew what to do or say. Tyler had never exploded like that at anyone like that before. I didn't know if I was more surprised about Tyler's outburst or the fact the Anthony was going to be a father. I stood up slowly, "Anthony, you can sleep in the guest room tonight," I told him and left the room. I went straight to my room and got in the shower. I couldn't believe this was happening. Hadn't I been through enough? I had no hope that my marriage with Anthony was going to last. I didn't want a divorce but I couldn't stay married to him. I just couldn't. I cried myself to sleep again. I had been doing that a lot lately.  
  
I was sick again in the morning. I wondered if Erin was getting morning sickness. And then it hit me. Was I pregnant? I sat down on the toilet seat in shock. It was possible; my period was a week late. I hadn't thought anything of it before; my period had always been irregular. I couldn't deal with this right now. I was in no state to be taking care of a baby. And Anthony and I would be getting a divorce if I had my way. "Derek," I whispered to myself. This baby could be Derek's! I jumped up and bolted out of the room. This was going to complicate matters even more. This was not good, not good at all. I drove like a maniac to the drugstore and bought three pregnancy tests. I was pregnant. Every test said so. All I could do was sick in the bathroom holding the three tests in shock. I didn't know if I was happy or not. I hadn't seen Anthony yet today and I had no real desire to. There was a knock at the door, "Skye?" it was Anthony. I stashed the tests under the sink and opened the door. He looked distraught. "Yes?" I said trying to sound in control even though I was screaming inside. "We should talk," he said. I sat down on the armchair and he sat on the bed. "I think we can convince Erin to let us raise her baby as our own," he said. "What?" I asked in disbelief. Did he actually think I would want Erin's child? A constant reminder of how my husband betrayed me? I wanted my own child. My hand went instinctively to my stomach. You have your own, I thought to myself, Do what is right for your unborn baby. But I don't know who the father is, I argued back. You know who it is, the voice said. The voice was right; I did know who it was. "No Anthony," I said quietly at first. "What?" he asked. "No, I have something to tell you," I said louder this time, "I am pregnant with Derek's child," I blurted out. His face contorted in rage, "That bastard!" he bellowed. "Anthony! You can take Erin tonight and find your own home, I want a divorce," I yelled at him. His face softened. He dropped to his knees and clawed at the hem of my skirt, "No Skye, I want you! Please, I'm sorry," he blubbered. "Get away from me," I said, calmly pulling my skirt from his hands. I walked to the large doors that led out to the balcony and turned around, "Oh and, leave Tyler here," I pushed open the doors and sat outside for the rest of the day. I tuned out all sounds of Anthony packing his things. I was vaguely aware of him standing at the doors for a minute before he left the house. As the sun was going down I heard a small voice behind me, "Skye?" it said meekly. "Tyler, honey," I opened my arms and he ran to me and I embraced him. We sat like that for a long while. Everything would be ok. I was strong enough to get what I wanted. And what I wanted was a simple life. With Derek. 


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine: Happiness  
  
Anthony took Erin out of my house that night and I refused to speak to him. I wouldn't let him back into my life. I had given him a second chance but I was no saint I couldn't forgive everything. He could be happy with Erin and their baby. I went to the doctor's office in town and found out that I was definitely pregnant. 2 months pregnant. Tyler went with me and he hugged me when I cried. I still had to tell Derek to news. I didn't know how he would react. Would he take me back? Would he want a child? One day in late April a little while after Anthony left I decided it was time to pay Derek a visit. I drove over to his house slowly. I was not looking forward to this visit. I knew he had become somewhat of an alcoholic after I ended our affair. I stepped over a couple beer bottles on my way up to the door. I knocked on the door loudly but it swung open before he answered it. I peeked inside tentatively. "Derek?" I called out. I heard a crash in the bedroom and he came stumbling out holding a glass full of what looked like whiskey. For goodness sakes, it was ten o'clock in the morning. He took a gulp of the liquid and smirked at me. He had bags under his eyes and a beard that looked like it had pieces of food stuck in it. I almost gagged at the smell in the house. There was broken glass on the floor and a few bags of garbage that was overflowing onto the carpet. Dirty dishes and beer bottles littered the living room. "What have you done to yourself?" I asked in disgust. "Nothing!" He said sounding offended. "Well can you take a minute out of your busy schedule to talk to me?" I asked. "That depends," he said. "On what?" I asked. "Are you going to dump me again?" he asked, and then he burst out laughing hysterically. Some of the whiskey splashed out of the glass onto the floor.  
  
I picked up some beer bottles form the floor and grabbed a bag of garbage. I had to be careful not to breathe through my nose so I wouldn't pass out. I took all the garbage out to the road so the garbage men would pick it up. Derek stood watching me as I cleaned his house for him. I scrubbed the stains on the carpet and picked up the broken glass. I washed his sheets and dusted every piece of furniture he owned. I did the dishes which took me about two hours because of all the caked on food. When I finally finished I sat down on the sofa, which was as good as new thanks to my scrubbing. "We have to talk," I said. He was sober now. "You didn't have to do that," he said sitting down on a chair. "You can't live in that kind of filth, it isn't healthy, you could have gotten bugs or rats in here," I told him. He looked down at his hands in what looked like shame. "Anthony and I are getting a divorce," I said. He looked up in surprise, "Oh? Well.I'm sorry," he said "No you're not, and neither am I," I said. He stared at me in confusion and then he broke into a wide grin, "Does this mean.?" he asked. I nodded, "I love you Derek, I'm sorry for leaving you, and I hope you can forgive me," I said. I truly didn't know if he could find it in his heart to take me back. I had left him twice. Could he forget about that? I hoped with all my heart that he could. "Of course I can!" he cried happily. He started over to embrace me but he wobbled a little from all the alcohol he had been drinking. "But, you have to stop drinking," I told him seriously. "Of course," he said. He looked down at his feet for a minute and then he dove at me and kissed me passionately. I giggled into his mouth and he giggled back. Now this was true happiness.  
  
Derek moved into the house by the lake in late May. He slept beside me in the same bed that I had with Anthony. But I no longer thought of it as that. It was as if Anthony had never been there. I still hadn't told Derek of my pregnancy. I didn't know how he would react to it. Would he still want to be with me? Get married? Finally I decided I had to tell him, I couldn't put it off any longer, and he was starting to worry about me getting sick all the time. I sat him down out on the balcony one day when Tyler was at school. He looked concerned. I had told him I had something very important to talk to him about. "Derek, I don't know how you will react to the news I have but I have to tell you," I said. "What is it Skye?" he asked, "You can tell me," He took my hand and smiled reassuringly. I felt my heart start pounding at the sight of his beautiful smile. I took a deep breath and let it go, "I'm pregnant," He stared at me for a minute in shock then he jumped up and laughed out loud. "I'm sorry," I said. "Don't be sorry! This is wonderful!" he cried. My heart leaped into my throat. He wanted to have the baby! He wasn't going to leave the house and go back to drinking again! I jumped into his arms and cried in joy. "Now we'll be a real family," Derek said.  
  
Tyler was very excited about the baby once he got over Erin leaving him. He had come a long way since the day he arrived here clinging to his sister's shirt. He was a very good skateboarder now. He and Keely were always together and I suspected they were going out. I asked him about him and his face turned beet red. "No, we aren't dating," he said. But I could tell that wasn't the truth. "You don't have to lie to me Tyler, I think it's great," I told him smiling. He hesitated before admitting, "Okay, we are kinda going out," "I knew it!" I cried out. We laughed and hugged eachother. Tyler and Derek got along very well. Tyler still didn't have many friends at school. I suspected that someone was bullying him but I didn't say anything about it. He didn't come home looking like someone beat him up so I was sure he was handling it himself. I was so proud of him. Nikola visited often and sometimes gave me updates on Anthony and Erin. She said they had found a small house in town and seemed to be doing ok. I can't really say I was happy for them. They had both betrayed me in the cruelest ways. Rachel and Wesley were very happy together and they did I wonderful job around the house. I went to a lawyer in town one day and he helped me draw up the divorce papers. They were sent out and sent back within two weeks. I was surprised when they came back so quickly. I guessed that Erin might have pressured Anthony into signing them right away. I knew Erin had dropped out of school and for that I was sorry. I had done my very best with her but Anthony just couldn't be a responsible adult. He had to give into her charms. I thought about our days in Monkton once in awhile. The times before Mama left us. I wondered if I would ever find out where she was. If she was even alive. I couldn't wait to have the baby. Then Derek, Tyler and I would truly be a complete family. 


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
The day finally came when my baby would come out into this world. It was a cold day in mid November. We already had my hospital bags packed. Derek sped all the way to the hospital in the larger town near Duncan. I swear, he was more nervous than I was. The labor was difficult. The baby was turned the wrong way and the doctor decided that I would have to have a C-section. I wasn't too excited about that. I didn't want to be cut open. What if they cut the baby? The doctor assured me that they wouldn't hurt the baby. It actually had a better chance of making it this way than if I did it the regular way. The next thing I knew I had a crying baby girl on my stomach. I cried in joy and I saw Derek holding back tears too. "Let's name her Hope," Derek suggested. "It's perfect," I agreed. Hope had her father's beautiful hazel eyes and my dark hair. She was so beautiful and perfect I could hardly bare to part with her when the nurses took her to the nursery so I could rest. Erin had her baby a couple of days later. It was a boy who they named, Gregory after Anthony's father. So he had loved and cared for his father after all. I wanted my daughter to know her half cousin. Erin was still my half sister after all. I vowed that I would make up with Anthony and Erin. I didn't like to hold grudges; it was bad karma. I prayed that now, finally I could be blessed with a happy, simple life.  
  
THE END 


	12. Author's Note

***A/N*** So there is the second book. Another masterpiece if I do say so myself. (You know I'm kidding) Again I enjoyed writing about Skye and her misadventures and I hoped you enjoyed reading them!  
  
Thanks again for reviewing everyone!!!  
  
See ya again when I write the third epic tale of the Jamieson's!! 


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